Kids got their hunter's safety cards this year... can you tell?!?!
Hopefully a lot more of this to come, but this was a special weekend for me. You fellow parents will understand!
Got an invite to SE Washington, inside of deer area 1010 where kids can take antlerless whitetails. Unbelievable gift opportunity, I wasn't going to waste it!
Here's my Journal type entries, and I will insert pics...
Day 1: We worked pretty hard today. Everybody's feet are pretty beat up! Tired!
Saw lots of deer. Saw 2 legal whitetail bucks (3pt minimum.) Had one nice buck bolt from a brush patch 10yds in front of 10yo in a driving rain squall, we never caught up. I could have shot it but 10yo was in front of me and it was thick so he didn't get it in his scope.
This is inside the brush pile actually about 5 minutes before we jumped the nice buck!
Then we had a chip shot on a legal dink who unfortunately was about 5ft on the wrong side of a fence!
This is the area where the property boundary was with the little buck on the wrong side of the fence!
Hiked very hard after several antlerless whitetails to get 10yo a shot, but they were very spooky and we never had a decent opportunity... that is, until we made it to the truck.... and of course there was one walking across the flat! I set him up on the tripod and he popped it! Not a great shot but we tracked it down and he finished it off! First deer!
Ended up being a yearling buck and WAY further out than I realized. He was only off by about 4" at 180 yards! (I wasn't even going to let him shoot past 150!) He did awesome! It only went about 40 yards, then he jumped it (too excited to wait), then it went another 70 yards where we found it and he anchored it.
Evening hunt: saw a bunch more deer and got 8yo in on a big whitetail doe. Shot across a plowed field at about 80yards right at sunset. He was very nervous and pulled his shot right. He's sure he'll get the next one!
Saw turkeys, dozens of deer, bear poop, owls, hawks, pheasants, quail.... great day! Back at it tomorrow!
Day 2:
We dropped in to the property from above again, but this time we set up and watched.
Saw a doe see us, then 8yo passed up a shot at two does at 160 yards.
We got up after a couple hours and stillhunted, and saw a yearling whitetail at 60 yards. 8yo was cold, shooting downhill, standing, resting on sticks... and missed 3 times.
He shot high all 3 times and was feeling kinda low. Second missed deer, 4th bullet. After lunch in town he didn't want to go back out, but I didn't allow the option.
We got back and the guys who had been glassing across the flat and up the wall said there were does coming out nearby and they would likely be out again soon. So, happy to not be hiking, we stayed there in the flat.
Sure enough, some came out down the way from us, and 8yo and I snuck down closer to where they disappeared and set up. They came out at 70 yards and stood for a shot. Missed! Both does jumped and looked intently at the plume of dust thrown up by the bullet. 8yo racked in another round and he later told me, "I aimed really careful and I let the trigger surprise me like you told me... because I figured it was my last chance before they ran away!" He touched one off and the deer absolutely slammed onto the ground! 8yo was ecstatic! He kept saying, "I feel like yelling!"
The approach...
This is how you smile after 5 clean misses are followed by a 6th stone cold tea-kettle shot!
Later, we watched some other hunters make a drive of the wall in front of us, and to make a very long story short, they pushed a bunch of deer across in front of us, including a barely legal buck, but we couldn't confirm it in time for me to get a shot off.
So close to tagging out on Day 2!
8yo got it done today!
Day 3:
Spent the morning glassing and hiking low for a buck, saw some does and 3 different bands of turkeys. Got really close to some, very cool!
Fellow hunters (same permission areas) tagged two bucks. Afternoon we drove and the boys car napped while my Host showed me a bunch of other ground where he has permissions. Will go back for predator calling! Huge country!
Went back to the first spot and I got dropped off (on the VERY far side of the ridgeline behind 8yo's approach photo.) Boys stayed in the truck with our Host.
I pushed 2/3 of the hillside and put up two does and two undersize bucks. Had an easy shot at one of the forkie mulies, but clearly saw no eyeguards, so I watched it move out.
Then the guys down below got on the radio and said they were watching a really nice whitetail buck all the way to the end of the ridge, out in the crop field, above where 8yo got his deer. I told the other guy up on the ridge that I thought he'd make it before me, that he should go for it, but I'd go for it too, and see what happened.
It was a super steep ridgeline with a brushy draw about every 100 yards, rocky, bad footing, and treacherous. Light was fading, direct sunlight was already gone. I figured I had to just give 'er heck, and see if I made it in time to maybe have a shot. I went as hard as I could balancing time, distance, sunlight, approach angle, and the noise I was making.
Turns out I beat the other hunter who was on top of the ridge by several minutes. I found the buck and got a good sneak on it. Saw a doe first, that I thought was him, approached, and then realized it wasn't, I continued in, but turning right, I found another deer, it was the buck!
I approached the edge of the field and got a clear line of sight through the grass. By the time I was on the sticks, the buck was looking at me, head high, nose up, quartering towards me with it's right shoulder. That's where I put the X... BANG!
I took a shot at about 80 yards and the buck bailed down the hill. Ran about 40 yards and tumbled for another 20.
Done!
This is the only pic I got of it, I will get some of the antlers soon. It's a nice buck for the area, 19" outside.
Edit:
Hiked hard Day 1 and Day 3, took it a little easy day 2.
Guided boys (one rifle at a time) on days 1 and 2. Hunted for me on day 3.
Dressed, skinned and cut deer on Day 1 and 2, saved the cutting part on the big buck for day 4 before heading home.
I am absolutely exhausted!
Great trip!
First deer for 10yo!
First deer for 8yo!
First Whitetail for me!
